Fantasy and Reality
by Fallen Ark Angel
Summary: Sometimes Mirajane likes to daydream. And sometimes, she gets a little lost in it. But that's okay. Because Laxus is always there, to bring her back down. - One-shot.


Fantasy and Reality

Mirajane's life had never been glamorous. Far from it. In fact, for the longest time, it had been pure hell. Considering she was Satan herself, however, that wasn't too big of a stretch. And, like most things, for all the bad that existed in her world, there was tons of good too. Enough to make living worth it. From her siblings to Fairy Tail to her sister's revival, there were many things for her to be thankful for.

Still though, it would be a lie to say at times guild life bored her. Sure, there were always tons of things going on. Monsters, drama, fake relationships that she'd built up in her own mind only to second-guess and reassign later. Always something. After awhile though, constantly putting your life on the line got…boring. Or at least tedious.

No, Mira dreamt bigger. Bigger than being on the covers of Sorcerer or being an S-Class mage for the top rated wizard guild in Fiore. She wanted to be known as more than just the she-demon. One of the takeover siblings. Mirajane wanted the riches and the glory and the fame.

And a really hot husband to boot.

Err, at least the vain side of her. The rest of her never wanted to leave Magnolia and wanted to stay a part of Fairy Tail forever.

Some days though, it was just hard to drown out the vanity with her normal, humble veneer. Usually on gloomy days where everyone up at the hall is disgruntled or just in a down mood and there was nothing interesting going on. No good gossip (and none that she felt up for making up) and no one interesting being around to talk to left Mira usually rather weary. It made the day go by slower mostly. And though she loved her work for the most part, it was at times like that when she found herself daydreaming.

It was on one of those days as, with very little customers, that she left Kinana to man the bar and she went into the storage room to take inventory (waste an hour or two and take some time for herself). While she was sitting on one of the wooden crates down there, killing time, the door to the storage room opened.

"Hi, Laxus," she called out with a sigh, hardly sounding excited to see him. Mainly because she wasn't. "Did you need something?"

"Been lookin' for you, demon."

"Mmmm."

"Why ain't ya happy, huh?" He shut the door behind him. "I came out in the rain, just to see you, and you're-"

"Not today, Lax."

"What's wrong?"

Nothing. Not really. But when she was daydreaming of her fabulous future, full of glam and treasures, the last thing she wanted to look at was one of the many things there to remind her it never would be a reality.

When she just shrugged, Laxus frowned, glancing around.

"Well, what are you doing in here? Kinana said that you were taking inventory, but of what?"

"I'm not."

"Then-"

"But she doesn't know that."

"You know," he grumbled, "as the future master of this place, I don't appreciate you using working hours to sit on your ass."

"No cursing."

"Mira-"

"What do you want, dragon?" She even got to her feet then. "For you to come all this way? Look at you. Your coat's all wet. Surely you have an actual rain coat."

"Surely," he complained as she came over to stare at him, "you can mind your own business."

"I can't."

"I figured."

Grinning then, if only slightly, she said, "Did you need something, Laxus? Honestly? I figured you'd stay in bed all day and rest. You just got home."

"I did just get home," he agreed. "So I want to spend it with you."

"Aw," she cooed as he just crossed his arms, looking off, as if he wasn't just super cute. "But I have to work all day. You know that."

"You don't _have_ to," he told her then. "Especially if you're just hanging around here, pretending to take inventory. What are you doing, anyhow?"

"Nothing."

"You're clearly doing something. What? You need a break that bad?"

"No," she sighed. "I just…I'm thinking."

"Thinking, huh?"

"Mmmhmm."

"'bout what?"

"Why do you care?"

That was a good question. But Laxus didn't feel much for answering.

"Why you hiding it?"

"What am I hiding?"

"I dunno. Your thoughts."

"You're so silly, dragon." With a giggle, she turned to go back and sit down once more. "Surely though you don't wanna spend your day with me."

"Surely I do."

"Surely-"

"Surely we can pick a better crutch word," he said then. "Because I've tired of this one, personally."

More giggles. Then, "Honest, Laxus, I'm not up for dealing with you today."

"I'm something to deal with now?"

"You've always been something to deal with."

"And you're not?"

"I am," she agreed. "And today you don't have to deal with me. So go find Freed or Ever or Bickslow. Or something. And let me-"

"Did I do something?"

"Huh?"

Coming over to the crate, he just stood in front of her. "Did I do something, Mirajane? To make you send me away?"

No. He hadn't done anything really. At all. In their entire year long relationship. It was rather…bland in comparison to the life the two usually led. Laxus was used to women (and Freed) hanging off him. Women (and Freed) showing up at his apartment at all hours, begging to be with him. But he'd traded that all in for Mirajane, who was used to her own barrage of guys that, while she cared about, usually found little future with, only to find that together, their lives weren't so great.

Not that they were bad. He honestly felt like he loved the demon. And she liked him. A lot. She always had. He had that weird aura about him that just screamed anonymity. And, of course, all that change-ability that women usually were drawn to. And she was, well, attractive, obviously, but also a few other things. She was high energy, something that he was frequently lacking, and kept him in constant motion when they were together. And she always had some dumb conversation in her back pocket to pull out and talk about, if need be. With Mirajane, it almost always needed to be.

There was definitely something between them. But it just wasn't…fiery.

Which wasn't horrible. Both had their fair share of those sorts of romances and though fun and heartbreaking, they usually fizzled quickly. And Mira and Laxus weren't fizzling. Then again, there wasn't much of a place to fizzle too.

They looked good together though. That's what Mira reminded herself of frequently. He was at the peak of the pack as far as the chiseled guys in the guild went (not counting overboard Elfman, that is), while she was definitely one of the top most eye-catching women at the guild, if not the top, and they complimented one another well. He was cold, brooding, and distant while she was vibrant, bubbly, and exuberant, more than filling out the opposites attract bill that so many put on couples.

But sometimes that was the problem.

"I'm not sending you away."

"Yes, you are. Back out into that storm outside."

"You should like it," she said, smiling at him. "Maybe it'll charge you up."

"Ha ha."

"I'm just not up for hanging out today," she told him with a shrug. "I'm sorry."

"You don't gotta be sorry. I just wanted to spend some time with you. That's all." He shrugged some then. "I mean, I'm either out on jobs or you're working and, damn it, Mirajane, I miss you."

She didn't coo that time. Just stared at him.

That was the other problem.

In their relationship of little over a year, they'd both felt that tug. It was so hard, as a mage, to have a relationship with someone. And a guild one at that? Impossible. But they'd known one another for so many years that they thought they could pull it off. They wanted to be able to pull it off.

Most of their time together though was just wishing to see one another and not being able to. He had to work. And so did she. That was just nonnegotiable. Simple as that. Sometimes though, it just made things so much more complicated.

He'd never missed a girlfriend before. At all. If he did, wherever he was, he'd just find another woman to bury his sorrow in and get the hell over her. With the demon though, there wasn't another woman that could possibly fill that void. He just wanted her. And their boring, lazy nights of sitting around his apartment, with her going on and on about things up at the guild that he didn't care about (seriously, he was there constantly; if he cared enough to know, he would). He wanted her to snuggle up to him even though he normally wasn't into that kind of stuff and tell him about what a good dragon he'd been recently. And he had. Been good. Listening to her tell him it really made his day.

And Mirajane usually didn't have time to miss guys. Between her brother, sister, the guild, and the usual peril that they were all in, she mostly found ways to keep her mind off men. Not to mention, most of the ones that she dated were so enamored by her that they never wanted to stray far, which usually led quickly to disinterest and nothing to look forward to. She thought at first that Laxus being absent so much would be the key to holding them together, but it was slowly turning out to be detrimental.

She missed her dragon. It wasn't fun, sitting around, thinking about him and what he was doing. It didn't help, either, that literally no one had any real faith in their relationship. And that Laxus had quite the reputation for not remaining faithful to the very few true girlfriends he had. Add in Mira's distrustful mind and, well, it was easy to see how many things could go wrong.

"I miss you too," she told him softly then. "You know that."

"Then why-"

"I'm just thinking, Laxus. And I want to be alone to do it."

"What kinda heavy thinkin' are you doin' that I can't be around for it?"

"It's not like that," she said. "It's more…dreaming."

"You're dreaming, huh?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Why can't I dream with you?"

"Laxus-"

"I'm just asking."

"I'm thinking of the future, okay?"

That made him frown. "What sorta future thinking, huh?"

"I dunno. Fantasies, more, I guess." Then, pausing, she thought for a moment before saying, "About what it'd be like, you know, if I stopped being a barmaid and mage and focused on my music. And if it really took off. I mean, really took off."

"That sounds nice," he agreed.

"It would be nice," she said, her true smile returning then, as well as the twinkle in her eyes. "I would have a nice house and Lisanna and Elf would live close and I would go all around Fiore, playing shows and-"

"What about me?"

"Huh?"

"What am I doing?" he asked her then. "While you were out touring the country?"

"Laxus."

"What?"

Breaking her grin some, she said, "You're not there, Laxus."

"Then where am I?"

"Dragon-"

"What? Are we not…together? Or what?"

"No," she told him. "We're not."

"Mira-"

"It's just a fantasy," she told him quickly. "Really."

"Your perfect one, apparently."

Giving him a look, she said, "Yeah, because I'm sure I'm just filling the brim of every single one of your fantasies."

"Actually, demon, you are in my favorite one."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "But sadly, you don't do threesomes, so that won't ever come true."

That got him a look. "This is why I didn't want you in here."

"Why? Because I'm fun?"

"You are not fun."

"I'm fun for you," he reasoned. "Aren't?"

Shaking her head without an answer, she said, "I really just want to be alone."

He just sighed though before reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "Alright then, demon. I'll, uh, go back home. And let you sit here, fantasizing about what would happen if I were dead-"

"You're not dead in the fantasies."

"Then-"

"We never got together."

Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to say. His whole posture changed. They'd hardly been carefree since the moment he walked into the storage room, but that was the nail in the coffin that was getting off easy that day.

"So," he said slowly, glancing back at her then, "in the time you should be working, but choose to spend wasting daydreaming, it's about how you're a superstar and I'm, what exactly? Still just some guy that you knew at the guildhall that was apparently just a stepping stone-"

"You've never been just a guy. We've always been friends."

"Friends. Right. That's great, Mira."

"Dragon-"

"You don't want me here right now, so I'm going. See you later."

"No, Laxus, wait. You're-"

'You want me to go! Why are you-"

"Because now you're mad. And over something so silly." She got to her feet again. "Why are you being so hard on me today?"

That got him to stop and look back at her. "Me being hard on you?"

"Yeah, Lax, you-"

"It's the other way around! I came in here to whisk you away to have a nice lunch, spend some time together, and all you want to do is think about the impossible-"

"Why is it impossible?" That wasn't the right thing to say either. "I'm great at singing and my guitar and-"

"You're hot, Mirajane. That's why everyone says that. You're subpar. I mean, fine, compared to Gajeel, we'll take you any day, but gain a few and see how many- Demon, no. Wait."

She just tried to walk passed him and out of the room. He caught her arm though.

"Demon-"

"No, Laxus. You're being a jerk. And why? Because sometimes I like to think about how different my life would be if I wasn't with you? I'm so sorry. I forgot that when I started dating you I signed away the right that I'm sure you partake in frequently."

"Then go. Screw it, Mira. Just go. You always do this though. Every single time you're in the wrong, you turn it back on me and-"

"I'm not doing anything, Laxus! You're being mean to me for no reason. Just because I didn't want to spend time with you today?"

"I walked in the damn rain, woman, just to come-"

"And I'm sorry. But clearly, we're not meshing today. Why don't you get that?"

He let go of her arm then and, with a shake of his head, didn't say anything. Just waited for her to leave. But she didn't. She only stared at him.

"Laxus-"

"You wanna go? Go."

"Not if you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad." And he wasn't. He was just…defeated. "I'm just… Why are we together, Mira? If in your perfect world you don't see us together, then why-"

"You're reading way too much into what I said." Crossing her arms then, she said, "I love you, silly."

"I know."

"You don't have something too?" she asked. "Something that you like to think about? If you weren't a mage?"

Shaking his head, he said, "There is nothing, but this for me."

"Then I'm happy for you. That's great. But I didn't grow up like you did, Lax, watching the others in Fairy Tail and dreaming of being them. I had other aspirations before and I still have them now."

"Right. Ones that don't involve me."

"Laxus, knock it off. You did not get your feelings that hurt and you know it." With a huff, she said, "I wouldn't leave you, you know, just to get that. Just to have that."

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not!"

"It's not like we have some whirlwind romance, demon," he grumbled. "Your biggest dream and you'd drop it for me? That doesn't even make sense."

It didn't. And it probably wasn't true. Not really. But by the same token, it wasn't an option. Her fantasy wasn't being dangled in front of her, claiming Laxus as atonement for it to come true. Not at all. And it never would. Not in that fashion, anyhow. So why tell him the truth when it would only hurt the both of them?

"So? When do I make sense?"

She had a point there. And even though he didn't like her answers or her attitude that day, he also didn't want to get stuck fighting the whole time. Sometimes, it was just easier to give in.

"Come on." When he didn't answer, Mira moved to grab his hand that time and tug him towards the door. "I'd feel bad about leaving Kinana all alone, but sit up at the bar, okay? And dry off some? We can talk. Or whatever it is you want to do."

Just be around her mostly.

So maybe her life up at the guild wasn't glamorous. And Laxus wasn't the dream guy to settle down with. But the guild had been her home for years. And Laxus might not be ideal, but he was better than most. Fine, they wouldn't get that explosive relationship that some got, but there were always other things. Simpler things.

The fact that he walked through a thunderstorm just to be with her was a big one.

"What, Laxus?" she complained later that day when she sat down to have a break and he immediately moved to place his headphones over her ears. "I don't want to listen to- Me. Why-"

"It's one of your songs," he said simply, even sparing a smile for her. "I recorded it once, when you were up there singing, and-"

"But why?"

"Don't you get it?" He just stared at her. "What I said before, about how you were just, you know, ordinary… You're not, demon. And if you ever wanna actually try to go somewhere with your music, I think you could. And I'd never hold you back from that."

"Laxus."

But they were around others then, not in that cramped storage room, so he just shrugged before shifting back to his own seat.

"I just thought that you should know."

She smiled too at that. Laxus was caring, fine, but usually not openly. It must have really gotten into his head that they'd had that argument.

Still though, as nice as it was, as she looked around the hall, she knew that she wasn't going anywhere. That he wasn't going anywhere. And, even if it was boring and sometimes even tedious, she hoped her relationship didn't vacate anytime soon either. It wasn't the most passionate one she'd had nor the most romantic, but, all in all, it was the most stable one.

And, no matter how fantasies were, in reality, stability meant more than glamour or riches.

Maybe she and Laxus wouldn't last. Given their lives, probably not. But she was surely going to enjoy it till the end.

"So," Laxus said when she moved to remove his headphones.

"So what?"

"If I'm willing to make your little singing fantasy come true-"

"Laxus."

"I'm just saying, I know some fine women that if you just gave the chance, we could have a very happy-"

"And we're done for the day," she said as she got back to her feet. "So done."

"Just think about it, demon."

"Don't make me hurt you."

Snickering, he put his headphones back in before settling down to get back to watching his demon work. If she was going to enjoy it, he was going to cherish it. And make sure that, if he could help it, that end she was picturing never came.

After all, even if sometimes it was hard to put into words, that dragon did love his demon. And he planned to keep loving her. Forever.


End file.
